The Tragic Death Of Monster's Ball Actor Coronji Calhoun Sr.
Coronji Calhoun Sr., who played Halle Berry and Sean "Diddy" Combs' son Tyrell in 2001's "Monster's Ball," has died at age 30, according to People. His mother Theresa Bailey set up a GoFundMe for funeral costs, as Calhoun was so young that he did not have a life insurance policy. She told WWL that her son passed away on October 13 due to congestive heart failure and lung problems.
Both Halle Berry and Lee Daniels, producer of "Monster's Ball," donated $3,394 to Calhoun's family. "We are blown away by the outpouring of love the community and Coronji's adopted family has shown during our process of grief," his mother wrote in a GoFundMe update on November 10. "While the financial burden has been lifted, we still mourn the loss of my son." She concluded with a call to "love your neighbor as yourself, because that is what Coronji did for his entire community."
Monster's Ball was Coronji Calhoun's only acting role
"Monster's Ball" was Coronji Calhoun Sr.'s one and only acting credit, according to People; his IMDb page confirms this. According to a 2002 article in SF Gate, he was selected at an open casting call in Louisiana. Halle Berry told the publication about her discomfort during the scene where her character beats Calhoun's over his weight.
"It was a lot harder than even the love scene because [he] was really 10 and obese," she said. "So I talked to him a lot and hugged and kissed him a lot." She said Calhoun told her he was unfazed, telling her, "You don't have to worry about what you say; it can't be as bad as how they treat me at school." Berry then said that things had since turned around for her on-screen son, saying, "But I hear now he's the most popular kid in his school."
Calhoun's life in recent years is somewhat of a mystery, as he had not been particularly active on social media. He had not posted on Instagram since 2015, and a Twitter account claiming to belong to him has not been used since 2017. And even when he did post on Instagram, it was mostly memes and caption-less selfies. We do know, however, that Calhoun had built a family. Per WWL, he is survived by his 10-year-old son and 13-year-old stepson. It is unclear if he had a partner or co-parent.